Billy Graham, RIP

Billy Graham, RIP

In his career as an evan­ge­list, Gra­ham preached to more than 210 mil­lion peo­ple in more than 185 coun­tries and territories.

Inde­fati­ga­ble, he wrote a syn­di­cated news­pa­per col­umn and dozens of best-​selling books, had a radio show, and appeared on the cover of the lead­ing mag­a­zines, but he is best known for his crusades.

After the suc­cess of his min­istry in the US, Gra­ham wanted to take his mes­sage world­wide and he began the process in Lon­don in 1954.

Demand It was a cal­cu­lated risk. At the time only 10% of Britons were reg­u­lar church­go­ers, com­pared with 50% in the United States.

He also faced a hos­tile British press, which was scathing about the motives of the man from Char­lotte, and he faced calls from one MP for him to be banned from enter­ing the UK

He con­ducted his first full-​scale mis­sion in a 12,000-seat audi­to­rium next to a grey­hound track at London’s Har­ringay Arena.

Such was the demand to hear him that he filled the arena every night for three months.

The final meet­ing of his UK cru­sade was held at Wem­b­ley Sta­dium, when 120,000 peo­ple heard Gra­ham speak of the recep­tion he had received in London.

“These meet­ings have been far beyond any­thing we had the faith to believe pos­si­ble,” he told the crowd. “The spirit of God is mov­ing across Great Britain as per­haps at no time in the last century.”

It was the begin­ning of what would be a series of mis­sions to all parts of the globe.

Regal treat­ment His cru­sades were always metic­u­lously planned. As his rep­u­ta­tion grew, so too did the crowds, from New York to Nige­ria. In Korea, more than a mil­lion turned out to hear him speak.

In 1957 he invited the civil rights leader Mar­tin Luther King to join him on a 16-​week stint in New York, which more than two mil­lion peo­ple attended.

“A Chris­t­ian is more than a per­son who is liv­ing up to a sys­tem of ethics. A Chris­t­ian is more than a per­son liv­ing a good moral life. A Chris­t­ian is a per­son in whom Christ dwells.” Billy Gra­ham, 1958, Charlotte

Rev. Graham’s mes­sage was “give your life to Christ and receive Him as your Sav­ior.” A direct, sim­ple mes­sage.

Here’s a video of the 1957 Madi­son Square Gar­den cru­sade, which includes a lovely per­for­mance of His Eye Is On The Spar­row by Ethel Waters,

In this video he empha­sized that “the Chris­t­ian life is one of growth.” I invite you to lis­ten. I was raised Catholic, but Rev. Graham’s mes­sage res­onates to all Chris­t­ian denominations.

Shane Van­der Hart reminds us of these words from the Apos­tle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have fin­ished the race, I have kept the faith,” (2 Tim­o­thy, 4:7). Let’s join in a prayer of thanks for Rev. Graham’s inspiration.

“A Christian is more than a person who is living up to a system of ethics. A Christian is more than a person living a good moral life. A Christian is a person in whom Christ dwells.” Billy Graham, 1958, Charlotte

Rev. Graham’s message was “give your life to Christ and receive Him as your Savior.” A direct, simple message.

Here’s a video of the 1957 Madison Square Garden crusade, which includes a lovely performance of His Eye Is On The Sparrow by Ethel Waters,

In this video he emphasized that “the Christian life is one of growth.” I invite you to listen. I was raised Catholic, but Rev. Graham’s message resonates to all Christian denominations.

Shane Vander Hart reminds us of these words from the Apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,” (2 Timothy, 4:7). Let’s join in a prayer of thanks for Rev. Graham’s inspiration.

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